|
February 26, 2010
TORONTO FC BLANKS DALLAS 1-0
FCD meets Houston for 3rd place
From the beginning, nothing seemed right for Thursday night’s game between FC Dallas and Toronto FC. For starters, the temperature settled in the 30’s, not anyone’s vision of a soccer match in Florida. Toronto made good on its first chance, a strike by Ugandan trialist Vincent Kayizzi in the16th minute after an assist from Dwayne De Rosario.
That was all Toronto needed because FC Dallas couldn’t find the net in the game, even when given a man-advantage for more than a half. The loss set up FCD in a game for third place on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT. against the Houston Dynamo, surprise loser to the New York Red Bulls.
The Houston Dynamo fell 6-5 in a shootout after a 0-0 regulation tie with the New York Red Bulls in the semifinals of the preseason Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic Thursday night at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. It was Houston's first game against another MLS team this preseason. In the sixth frame, Geoff Cameron's effort toward the top right corner deflected off the underside of the crossbar and bounced away. New York then won the shootout with a left-footed shot from Austin Da Luz.
Dallas’ chances started in the 20th minute, when Honduran attacker Marvin Chavez sped in on a breakaway after a through ball from David Ferreira in midfield. Toronto keeper Stefan Frei had the right stuff on this early challenge and deflected the shot high. Chavez stayed with it but so did Frei. who used his distinct height advantage to head it out of play.
Atiba Harris, who has been playing striker in place of the absent Jeff Cunningham, seeing national team duty, got loose at the top of the box, but lost out on a 1-v-1 with a Toronto defender.
Frei proved up to the task of keeping a clean slate, clearing a free kick from the left after FCD defensive midfielder Daniel Hernandez drew a foul.
Dax McCarty and Anthony Wallace entered the game in the second half for FCD. McCarty was fresh from his three-week training camp and game with the U.S. National Team. Wallace is enjoying a tremendous preseason in the first year he has come off his adidas generation contract. Dallas was eager to take advantage of a man advantage, secured in the 45th minute when the Reds’ defender Nick Garcia was shown the red card for retaliation at the close of the first half.
Toronto managed to cling to its 1-0 lead with tough and disciplined play as Dallas continuously came away empty on scoring opportunities. It didn’t hurt that trialist Milos Kocic stepped into the goal of the second half and played like his job depended on the result, which it probably did. Kocic met his first challenge early, not only parrying the first shot out, but saving the rebound attempt from Harris as well. Only a minute later, Kocic stopped a McCarty shot from 20 yards out. Despite playing a man down, Toronto prevailed. Kocic parried a shot off a cross from Brek Shea in the 79th minute, stopping Eric Avila’s rebound attempt, then did it again less than a minute later on another shot by Avila.
Dallas was oh-so-close in stoppage time, but McCarty’s free kick clanged off the far post.
FCD coach Schellas Hyndman was not a happy man after this game, even though he though the physicality of play was a deterrent to good soccer.
"I think it was a little more physical than we wanted it to be, than it probably should have been," said Hyndman. "But at the same time, it is what it is and they were down a man for the second half. I thought we did some good things and created many scoring chances, but we've got to be able to put the ball in the goal."
Lineups:
FC Dallas: Josh Lambo, Zach Loyd (Anthony Wallace 46), Ugo Ihemelu, George John (Steve Purdy), Jair Benitez, Daniel Hernandez (Eric Alexander), David Ferreira, Bruno Guarda (Dax McCarty 46), Marvin Chavez (Ruben Luna), Brek Shea, Atiba Harris (Eric Avila)
Toronto: Stefan Frei, Nana Attakora, Abdou Jammeh, Nick Garcia, Jim Brennan, Vincent Kayizzi, Julian de Guzman, Martin Saric, Gabe Gala, Ali Gerba, Dwayne De Rosario
|
